Brick-truck



UNITED STATES PATNT rricn,

JAMES C. STEELE, OF S'TATESVILLE, NORTH CAROL-INA.

BRICK-TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,985, dated March 5, 1889. Application filed October 23, 1883. Serial No. 288,979; (No model.)

To all whom it-may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES O. STEELE, of Statesville, in the county of Iredell and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Brick-Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is in the nature of an improvem ent upon the brick-truck for which I recei ved Letters Patent No. 380,603, dated April 3, 1888; and it consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the rests or supporting-arms for carrying the load and means for operating the same, and also in the arrangement of the axle-arms for the wheels, whereby they are also made to act as braces for the frame-work.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the truck about to be applied to a platform supporting a pile of bricks, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the truck.

In the drawings, A A represent the truckwheels, which are about thirty inches in diameter, formed with sixteen metal-rod spokes arranged inthe hub in zigzag fashion. The spokes are screwed into the hub and have nuts screwed on the other end of the spokes on the inside of the tire or rim, with which to set and true the wheel, the spokes then being riveted through the tire.

B B C D E represent the wooden framework of the truck, of which B B are longitudinal side bars; 0, a rear cross-bar forming a handle, and D E two parallel cross-bars near the middle of the frame.

F are the axle-arms, upon which the wheels turn. These arms are bent up and extend along the inside of the side bars for a short distance, and are bolted to the same at a, and then extending obliquely across the right angle between the side bars and first crossbar are bolted to the said cross-bar at 7), thereby forming a brace for this joint of the frame-work, which grez'itly strengthens the same and at the same time forms a solid and strong connection for the axle-arms.

G G are rests orsupporting-arms which are bent into shape from a single piece of stout metal, which is made to assume a bail shape with the bend in the middle at the rear and its two arms at the front. The front ends of these arms or rests are supported by link-bars H, which at their upper ends are jointed to the middle of elbow-levers I. At their lower and rear ends these elbow-levers are fulcrunied to the frame-work near the wheelhubs, while their upper ends are jointed to rods J, that extend back to and are jointed to a bail-shaped handle, K, fulcrumed to the side bars. By drawing this bail-handle to the rear the rests or supporting-arms Gare raised, while the reverse motion of the handle lowers them. To the middle of the bent rod which forms the rests or supporti ng-arms is attached a supporting-chain and a rod, L, having a hand-hold at its upper end. This rod passes through a guide-loop, e, on the cross-bar E, and serves to steady the supporting-arms while being pushed under the hack of bricks or being pulled out from under the same.

The rests or supporting-arms G G occupy a position a short distance above the ground, and are designed to be pushed under the raised and projecting ends of a platform, P, carrying a load of bricks. W'hen the arms are thus pushed under the projecting ends of the platform, the arms are at their lowest position, with the bail-shaped handle K lying over to the front close to the loop or handle of rod L. The bail-handle is now grasped and drawn upwardly and to the rear. This action raises the rests or supporting-arms G G at their front points of support. The rear end is raised by raising the handle of the truck at the same time that the bail is drawn back, thus lifting the load of bricks in a perfectly level position by a simultaneous motion of the bail-shaped lever and the handle of the truck.

Having thus descrilmd my invention, what I claim as new is 1. The combination, with a wheeled truck, of a pair of rests or lifting-arms, G G, ar ranged between the wheels and near the ground, and lifting mechanism for both the front and rear ends of said arms to raise and lower the same in level position, as described.

52. The combination, with a wheeled truck, of a pair of rests or lifting-arms, G G, arranged between the wheels and near the ground, link-bars H, connecting with the front ends of the arms, elbow-levers l, jointed to the links, rods J J, connected to the elbow- 4. The combination, in a truck, with the longitudinal side bars and the cross-bar connecting the same, of the axle-arms extended inside the-1ongitudina1 bars and across the angle to the cross-bar to form a brace, as de- I 5 scribed.

JAMES C. STEELE. \Vitnesses:

T. A. WATTS, D. A. MILLER. 

